Rising Tide
Divine Word College continues to ride a rising tide in enrollment numbers. The trend of the last few years continues, and in fact has increased since DWC diversified its enrollment beyond young men who are discerning life as Divine Word Missionary priests and brothers. By inviting religious sisters, seminarians from other orders and lay persons to enroll, the college has been rejuvenated.
In January 2008, the student enrollment was 55. In September 2010, it stood at 107. This fall there are 122 full-time students enrolled at DWC. “We enrolled 30 new students this semester, including ten SVD candidates,” said Len Uhal, DWC Director of Admissions. “In August 2008, we only had 29 SVD candidates at the college. This semester we have 52.”
The number of religious sisters has remained constant since last year, at 34, while SVDs from other parts of the world has risen to 17. Meanwhile, the number of lay students has increased slightly. In 2010, the program welcomed its first two students. One chose not to return, but this fall, two more enrolled.
“We are very pleased with our vocation ministry efforts and the partnerships we’ve developed with other religious congregations and dioceses,” Uhal said. “God has truly blessed our efforts.”
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| Joseph Okello, one of 16 pre-novitiate and lay students who reside at Arkfeld House, heads to Mass at nearby DWC. Arkfeld House was purchased adn remodeled earlier this year to help accommodate growing enrollment at the college |
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Arkfeld House
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This growth has created challenges to provide enough housing. With the religious sisters living off
campus, along with senior students in pre-novitiate, all our accommodations were brimming. The college hoped to house lay students off campus as well.
The remedy was provided by a memorial bequest to the Chicago Province from the late Marie C. Narciso, of Brooklyn, New York, in memory of the Santomenna family, on her maternal side. Earlier this year, with a portion of those funds, DWC was able to purchase a former commercial building near the college and convert it to student housing.
The new residence is now home to 16 pre-novitiate students, associate students and male members of the lay ministry program. It has been named Arkfeld House after The Most Reverend Leo Arkfeld, SVD, who was originally from Iowa and was on mission in Papua New Guinea for many years.